~ Shooting to Kill ~ An essay on guns and violence intended to spark class and family discussion People have been killing people for a very long time. First we used rocks. Then we used iron. Next we used gunpowder. Now we use incredible killing machines invented by our amazing minds. In this essay, we […]
~ Cooperation tops Competition ~ Do you like winning? Of course, you do. We all do. However, when winning means that someone else loses, the stage is set for conflict, anger, and even hate to develop. We live in a highly competitive society that values winning over all else. Just watch our TV shows, attend a […]
~Are You a Valued Group Member?~ We all recognize that being a cooperative person will make not only the project or task you are working on go more smoothly, but also make you and your co-workers happier. But just what does it mean to be cooperative? Here are 5 questions to ask yourself when you […]
Solving Conflicts through Nonviolence Nonviolence seems like a harmless idea rooted in compassionate and peaceful interests. Why is it then that practitioners of nonviolence are often seen as enemies of the state? Mark Kurlansky’s book Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea illuminates that dark corner where economic, religious and state power often collude to […]
Addressing Name Calling Through Children’s Books Name calling does so much damage. It leads to hurt feelings, broken friendships, anger, and even war. The best way to address name calling is to develop our children’s empathy for those who are the victim and provide them with great examples. The following picture books contain empathetic characters and […]
A major cause of conflict between people and groups is misunderstanding each other. There are many reasons for this. Each of us has our own unique upbringing and belief system. We may speak different languages and have different value systems. We may even have different ideas about what makes something true. By understanding more about […]
Consensus is defined as finding the middle ground between total agreement and total disagreement. A consensus means that everyone has come together to agree on one thing. In a consensus, there are no winners or losers. Everyone accepts the final solution or decision and understands why that is the best decision for the conflict. It’s […]
You probably think name calling is something only children do. After all, name calling is one of the most common ways that conflict starts between children, especially on the playground out of the eye of the teacher. What child hasn’t been called a name? However, name calling doesn’t end on the playground. It pervades our […]
One reason people have conflicts with others is that they have preconceived ideas about the people they disagree with. By facing their own stereotypes and then learning ways in which their opponents are similar to them, people who have disagreements can learn to work with people different from themselves to come to a compromise. This […]
~ The Foolishness of War ~ Armistice or Remembrance Day November 11 was designated a holiday to recognize the ending of WWI hostilities in Europe in 1918. Would that had been the end of all wars as people hoped back then, instead of the beginning of modern warfare. Here are four children’s books that address the […]
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